Kate Shanahan

Lots of activity in the Media for Equity space in this autumn, and just in the last two days we have had some great news, one coming from the UK and second from Australia. 🫡 dmg ventures has announced the launch of their new fund with 50M GBP in cash capital, as well as their traditional media credits. They plan to invest into European as well as US-based startups, from two separate funds: "The Headline Fund will target startups between seed and series A, while the second, the Scale Fund, is for more established startups. The Scale Fund has already made two investments, into Trip, a UK maker of sparkling drinks that contain CBD, and Blue Stripes, which makes cacao-based products by reusing the fruit that is wasted by the chocolate industry." - Global Corporate Venturing The second announcement is coming from the Scaleup Mediafund, "backed by investors including News Corp Australia, NOVA Entertainment, Foxtel Group, REA Group, and oOh! Media and has committed over $45 million in advertising and marketing inventory to support the Australia's startup ecosystem. The two new investments are, Naked Life, a non-alcoholic cocktail drinks business, and Settle Easy, an online property conveyancing platform. 💪 These are great news for the media for equity, media capital, media credits or may you call it media investments, and great new set of proof points for the investment model. #MediaForEquity #MediaCapital #MediaCredit #MediaInvestments cc: Flavius Floare Borderbridge

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How do you drive value when fundraising? In the absence of a clear guide, many founders and their boards will chart a steady and linear progression in value, supported by revenue or profit growth, starting at the implied valuation of the initial investment and heading towards a target valuation with valuation reference points to validate this approach. In determining the target value it is worth remembering that business values for scaling growing businesses are typically derived by considering three different methodologies - find out more in this article. https://lnkd.in/e4CH-HH7 #fundraising #valuecreation #investments

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In venture capital, relationships drive success, but knowing which to prioritise is key. Platform teams build value by operationalising these networks at scale—deciding who to focus on and how to align these connections with firm strategy is the name of the platform professional’s game 🤠 Cory Bolotsky’s VC Community Honeycomb offers a practical framework for getting started, mapping out seven key communities that most funds engage with—from portfolio founders to corporate executives. Each group represents distinct opportunities and requires unique approaches. Rather than stretching across every possible relationship, high-impact firms focus on the connections that are uniquely aligned with their goals. For a deeper dive into 25 sub-communities and a prioritisation matrix, read Cory’s full post in the comments. To illustrate this in action, let’s look at two funds whose approaches highlight distinct strategic priorities. Pillar VC focuses on early-stage founders, with over half of its investments emerging out of universities. Their new AI in Science Fellowship Program in partnership with Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) will place 30 top AI researchers in leading UK science labs over the next three years, supporting innovation from inception. In contrast, Founders Circle Capital supports growth-stage companies with a platform strategy that includes The Circle by Founders Circle Capital, a private leadership community of 600+ CFOs, CHROs, and CROs in Series B+ or newly public companies with significant traction (>$20M+ in annual revenue). Each fund’s approach reflects a prioritised focus on communities that align with their unique goals—early scientific innovation for Pillar VC and strategic executive support for scaling at Founders Circle. Ultimately, effective relationship-building isn’t just about quantity; it’s about creating a network that’s both scalable and personalised. By focusing on relationships aligned with core factors—deal flow, portfolio support, investment strategy, team strengths, and fund maturity—platform teams can build connections that drive meaningful outcomes and strengthen the fund's position. 🤔 What are some of the most innovative approaches you’ve seen in how funds build and prioritise their communities? ⬇️ -------------- [Post 6/30: The Platform Function in Venture Capital] #30DaysOfPlatform #VC #VentureCapital #Venture #CVC #Platform

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"Platform" in VCs often feels undefined, and different at every firm. But one thing is clear: firms with dedicated platform teams are seeing higher investment returns. What is 'Platform' in VC? Think of it as a support engine for portfolio companies. Platform teams accelerate growth by providing: 1) Strategy & Growth 2) Talent Partner 3) Marketing & Brand Partner 4) Business Development & Partnerships Lead 5) Community Manager 6) Operations & Scaling Partner 7) Fundraising & Capital Advisor Platform in Venture Studios vs. VC Funds: The big difference? Timeframe. Venture Studio Platform: Involved from concept to exit, guiding startups from the very first spark of an idea. VC Platform: Steps in after the startup is funded, focusing on scaling and growth but not the initial concept phase. Both play critical roles—but understanding these distinctions helps founders and investors make the most of their platform relationships.

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Survival of the Fittest in a Shifting Funding Landscape Founders are adopting a low-key approach, focusing their energy on internal growth. Armed with capital secured in 2021, many are strategically revitalising their businesses. But the big question remains: What will the dealmaking landscape look like in 2024? "Overall, capital infusion will be concentrated on a narrower spectrum of companies than in all. The private capital raising landscape is anticipated to be robust, showcasing significant improvement from 2022. However, the capital infusion will be concentrated on a narrower spectrum of companies compared to the prolific scene of 2021." Read More: https://lnkd.in/d3536qvA In the meantime, share your thoughts! Are you a founder facing a funding crunch? How are you adapting your strategy? #StartupFunding #Founders #Growth #DealMaking #SibaPanda

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1st thing I say in every 1st board meeting - you're not selling to me anymore, we're partners 🤝 This can be a hard transition for founders to make But it's crucial to have an effective, useful board You need to do a hard reset Stop telling your investors only the good stuff And start telling them the bad stuff, the difficult things, the challenges, your worries This enables the board to help, and builds a culture of transparency, trust and mutual respect #startups #venturecapital #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #founder #technology #innovation #management #board

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My latest article is out '8 things I wish I knew before starting a role in early-stage VC' for Associated, The Collective. As glorified as the VC industry is (and for many reasons it deserves this reputation), there are aspects of the industry that are worth knowing before you pick up the chalice 🏆🐍 . Here are 8 things I wish I knew before starting my VC journey: 1. It is a numbers game 🎲 2. It is all about internal selling 📢  3. FOMO is real in this industry - leverage it 😠 4. Your network should become one of your biggest assets 🌐  5. Find an operational topic to work on to keep sane 🛠️ 6. Do as many deals as possible 🌊 7. Start-ups can be growers or showers but both can lead to zero returns ;) 🍆 8. When the rubber hits the road at your fund - leave 🛞 See the full article below 👇: https://lnkd.in/ehgUwuNj As always a big thanks to Tunde Adekeye and Danielle Bennett and Melina Sánchez Montañés, Philip Specht, Roelof Botha and Zerina Zimić for creating such awesome content!

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Great insights from Adam Agius on what to consider when raising debt for a search fund buyout. Most relevant to the UK market, but a worthwhile read for all searchers. There's more debt capital keen to support search acquisitions than ever before, but approaching it naively can be very costly...

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Compare this to founders and startups from developing Asia. The avg pre-seed round would be around €100K and Founder's salary would be around €10K PA. Startups with lower burn will be invincible as Innovation and tech tools aren't geo-restricted anymore. #Startups #VentureCapital #Investment #Innovation #Funding

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This month marks my 10 year anniversary in Venture, and what a ten years it has been 🎉 🤩 First stop: JamJar Investments Rewind 10 years and you’ll find me sitting at my desk at JamJar, operating under the alias of “Bread”, working my way through an inbox full of 1000 cold inbound pitch decks, reviewing and replying to every single one. Highlights included a hand drawn picture of a new ketchup sachet design with “target market: Nandos” written below it, and a concept for a drink that tasted like the leftover milk at the bottom of a cereal bowl. But there were also some diamonds in the rough, and it was here that I got my first experience of that lightbulb moment when you meet an exceptional founder that you want to back, making my first investment a few months in. JamJar was the best training ground I could have hoped for, and I'm so grateful to Katie Marrache and Adam Balon, Richard Reed & Jonathan Wright for welcoming me into the team. Second stop: Venrex In 2015, I joined Mark & Tom at Venrex alongside Pooja Patel. We clicked as a team immediately, and over the ensuing years launched 7 new funds, grew the portfolio to 180+ companies, built a brilliant team, moved from a small attic in West London to panoramic views in Fitzrovia, and had a lot of fun along the way. As well as the buzz of discovering new founders to back, I also discovered my love for supporting founders post-investment. With 11 board roles and a further 16 portfolio companies to support, the ex-strategy consultant in me had just enough to get my teeth into. Venrex’s people-centric and pragmatic approach to investing chimed with my own instincts about the type of investor I wanted to be. They gave me the most incredible platform to grow as an investor and roll up my sleeves with all of the operational sides of running a venture fund. To the entire Venrex team, new and old, thank you for an amazing chapter. Third stop: Circle & Co In June, I left Venrex to launch my own Venture fund, Circle & Co, which is on track for its first close next month. It's by total chance that this milestone falls on my 10th anniversary in venture, but what an incredible way to kick off the next decade. More details on the fund to follow, but for the moment I want to thank the amazing network of friends, fellow VCs, founders, LPs and family who have got me this far. You are the original Circle, and have been the inspiration & driving force behind this next step. Let's make it a good one.

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WEBINAR ALERT! This Friday I will be hosting Rosanne Whalley, CEO at AHL Venture Partners and Daniel Keiper-Knorr, Partner at Speedinvest for a deep dive discussion on GP-led exit strategies, designing for exits, perspectives from getting exit deals done in both African and European markets and how today's VCs should be thinking and working towards tomorrow's exits. After all, DPI is king. Join us for a refreshing conversation based on hard-won experience and expertise. Maybe we will also throw in some brand new Strategy Tools VC canvases to help you get some exits done...... Time: Friday 27th 14:00 - 15:00 CET Register: https://lnkd.in/dGSJDVSa Why you should join: - Get the latest on VC exits across EU and African markets - Hear from experienced exit deal makers - Learn how Speedinvest and AHL builds teams, processes and 2-year projects to get exit deals done - Get your hands on some of the brand new work on GP-led exits See you there! Scott Newton Link Venture Capital Link Capital #OIW #Exit #GP

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“What do VCs really want to see in my pitch?” One of the resources we direct founders who ask this to at IfWeRaise are the incredible articles by Tunde Adekeye, PitchDoctor. Tunde distils so brilliantly what founders really need to focus on, and how to stand out, with deep empathy for both sides. That’s why we were soooo keen to get him to do an IfWeRaise webinar, free for anyone to join to share his wisdom far and wide! If you’re free this Friday make sure to signup! And if you have founder friends make sure you’re sharing this with them too. #fundraising #pitching #vc #venturecapital #startups #investment

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I really enjoyed breaking in our new studio to sit down with Temporal Technologies Co-Founders Samar Abbas and Maxim Fateev for the latest episode of Founded & Funded. Temporal was founded in 2019 based on an open-source microservices orchestration engine project but is the result of a more than decade-long partnership between the two co-founders that spanned their time working on different iterations of the same thing at AWS, Microsoft, and Uber. In this episode, Samar, Maxim, and I dive into the challenges of building an open-source ecosystem while also working on a commercial offering and scaling a successful company, how to navigate and adjust a product roadmap in an ever-changing world of AI and large language models, and how to successfully build an early startup team, navigate through a CEO transition, and bring on a startups first independent board member. It's a very compelling conversation and a must-listen for every builder out there. Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gymf9sES Find other platforms and the transcript on our website: https://lnkd.in/ggRtnKtM Be sure to subscribe to our channel for more deep dives into cutting-edge technologies and the minds behind them. Don't forget to like, comment, and share this conversation if you found it valuable!

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There's still a massive lack of transparency in VC - that's unfair to founders. Another step we're taking is making our Term Sheet public. People talk about choosing an investor like getting married - it's not quite, but you should understand the importance of many clauses that could have a huge impact on your control and economics down the line (in good and bad outcomes). Term Sheets should always be the starting point for a real, open discussion between investors and founders. We hope this allows founders more time to decide what's most important to them and allows us to start all our pre-seed relationships on the best foot. We've also written a guide explaining the key terms, what you should accept and what to look out for (there are still many bad actors out there 👿) Download our term sheet: https://lnkd.in/eyPb6TVj Term sheet guide: https://lnkd.in/e2jdKngN ps. shout out to some other pioneers of transparency and open TS, including Seedcamp, Kindred Capital VC 🙌 #vc #venturecapital #startups #fundraising #founders #termsheet #entrepreneurship

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If you're a founder or VC, I'll be speaking about this tomorrow on a panel about founder health at Impact Week.Message me if you're interested in meeting at Impact Week to discuss how leadership coaching may be a good fit for you!

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Taking the first big step with your startup? Let me share a little secret: the MYStartup Pre-Accelerator was a total game-changer for us. When I started as a first-time founder, the whole process was overwhelming. Where to begin? What’s the right move? But signing up for the Pre-Accelerator turned the chaos into clarity. From day one, we were surrounded by incredible mentors and fellow founders who truly cared about our success. They handed us the tools and insights needed to craft our vision and build energy behind it. If you’re searching for a place to grow, where learning is never-ending and real support waits at every corner, MYStartup is it. It’s a safe zone to test ideas, get the guidance you need, and connect with people who understand the startup life. So, if you’re ready to take your dream seriously, don’t wait around. Cohort 5’s applications are open, and I can’t recommend it enough. Your future self will thank you for taking the plunge. Apply and get ready for an incredible journey! 🚀 https://lnkd.in/ghuKqWvN MYStartup WatchTower and Friends (WTF)

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At Outlander VC, we’re committed to backing the bold. As one of the key funding partners of LvlUp Ventures, Outlander VC focuses on visionary game-changers and industry disruptors who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo. - Led by former founders: Our team has built and scaled companies to thousands of people and hundreds of millions in revenue. We understand the journey and are ready to get hands-on. - $150M Fund III: Outlander VC is deploying $150M over the next three years to fuel early-stage startups. Focus: - Industries: Agnostic (we back disruptors across all sectors). - Stage: Pre-Seed and Seed. - Geography: United States-based startups. If you're ready to disrupt your industry and scale, let's connect. We're here to help build something truly transformational. #VentureCapital #OutlanderVC #LvlUpVentures #Startups #PreSeed #Seed #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #Disruption #Scaling

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Pitched to 60+ VC partners & principals Key Takeaways 👇 - At pre-seed stage the team is critical. This means you 100% need a stellar CTO. Don’t even think of raising without a CTO - If you don’t fit a certain bias, your expectations have just doubled. So having more is always better. More customers, more traction, more validation! - ALWAYS get warm intros to investors. Rely on your network. Go build one bcz cold pitching never works! - Lastly be prepared to fail. Markets are brutal right now. Have a backup plan! #startups #founders #fundraising

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